Iranian Soccer Team’s Head Coach to Leave for S. Africa Tomorrow

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Carlos Queiroz, the Portuguese head coach of the Iranian national soccer squad, will leave Tehran for South Africa to make arrangements for his team’s preparation camp there, he announced on Sunday.

Queiroz who was speaking with reporters after a press conference in Tehran added that he has still received no new offer from the Iranian Football Federation for renewing his contract till the end of the Asian Cup.

The Iranian head coach who will return to Iran on January 6, said that he was going to watch the African Nations Football Cup games, and particularly the Nigerian team’s games, to enable him to analyze them.

Iran will play against Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia and Hezogovina in Brazil's 2014 World Cup campaign in Group F.

In a country where football is the number one sport and crowds at international matches regularly top 90,000, a relatively kind World Cup draw also has fans optimistic that Iran's national squad can claim their first win at the international event since 1998.

In that year, Iran beat the United States 2-1 in a game of its own group.

Argentina, who can call on four-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, will be favorites to top the group, but Iran should also pose a stern test for Nigeria, 36th in the world rankings, and Bosnia, 21st.